Morning Wrap: Vlade Divac Drains Half Court Shot for $90K

((ht: probasketballtalk.com))

Oh you Vlade Divac. Never change.

The former Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings center was a guest at Tuesday nights Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors game. And at some point he got to be the guest half-court shooter.

Which meant between the end of the third and beginning of the 4th quarter Divac was brought out onto the court where he promptly drained the runner from the center circle at half court.

Divac gave the crowd a golf wave, smiled and walked away with $90,000 which he immediately donated to his favorite charity.

Oh...we should add the lowly Lakers pulled out an upset win over the Warriors minus Laker star Kobe Bryant....

Boom!

Eerily Fascinating: Video Shows Kobe Bryant and Micheal Jordan Similarities

Okay, this is incredibly cool, but really creepy at the same time.

Someone took the time to comb through and compare highlights of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and edit them together.

That editor found that the similarities between the two was to say the least startling....

And quite honestly, we find it amazing. But it really does explain several things. If you are of a certain age and loved basketball like Kobe does, you probably modeled a lot of the things you did after the G.O.A.T...

This video proves it--

DEVELOPING: D'Antoni Gone From Lakers (UPDATED: Statements Are Out)

((HT: KABC-TV))

Well that didn't last long...

This was November 15, 2012 after Mike Brown's 1-4 srtart for the Lakers in the 2012-13 season...


Now, after a really really bad season, vibe (and everything else associated with the current Lakers situation), he is out as head coach in the middle of the rebuild that may (or not) involve a 100-percent fit Kobe Bryant...

According to Ramona Shelburne over at the four-letter, D'Antoni has resigned...

More when we know more...

2130 UPDATE: We know more...

From Marc Spears at Yahoo!Sports from his Twitter

We've hit an insurmountable inpass and Mike will no longer be the Laker coach- mike D'Antoni's agent warren LeGarie tells yahoo

And from the Lakers:

Mike D’Antoni has resigned as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Although no timetable has been established, the search for a replacement will begin immediately.

D’Antoni, who was hired by the Lakers to replace Mike Brown on November 12, 2012, had a 67-87 record in his two seasons with the team. He previously was head coach of the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks, and has a career record of 455-426.

“Given the circumstances, I don’t know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons,” said Kupchak. “On behalf of the Lakers, we thank Mike for the work ethic, professionalism and positive attitude that he brought to the team every day. We wish him the best of luck.”

It's Official... The Lakers Are Awful

((HT: NBA on TNT))

The worst regular season loss in franchise history... and the Lakers actually led 20-16...


Here's Lakers coach (for how long the HQ is unsure) Mike D'Antoni...


The previous "worst loss" was January 9th, 1995, when they lost 129-83 at Portland.
The previous worst home loss was on February 9, 1960, when Boston beat them 129-90.

This Lakers team could end up as the worst-ever in the Los Angeles era and, at 20 games under .500, they're back to being last in the Western Conference.

The Clippers had 8 players in double-figures and the only two who didn't play- Jared Dudley and Jamal Crawford- sat because of injuries. Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 21...

What Does Last Night Say About The Lakers,,,Or The Cavs...???

((HT: Time Warner Sportsnet/NBA))

It got so bad for the Lakers last night that they only suited eight to begin with...

Then, foul trouble tested depth...
And Robert Sacre's foul out meant that it took a while for the officials to figure out what in the blue hell to do...

Play with 4...???

Not really... but every time Sacre would foul, it meant a technical for the Cavs...

And the Lakers still won the game...
Here's your postgame marveling at what just happened...

Former NBA Player Crittenton's Legal Issues Pile Up

((espn.com))

This is a serious SMH. We got the opportunity to cover former NBA and Georgia Tech basketball player Javaris Crittenton as early as his High School days when he was teammates with Dwight Howard.

We never thought his career, much less his life would play out like this.

Already in jail and facing murder charges from a 2011 shooting that cost an Atlanta mother of 4 her life, Crittenton can now add drug charges to the ever growing list.

His name along with thirteen other people were named in an indictment that was released on Wednesday. Crittenton was in his Fayetteville, GA house when DEA agents and local police executed a warrant and led him from his home in handcuffs.

Read more from ESPN.com RIGHT HERE

It's just sad to see what happened to a kid who had all the potential in the world. He had crazy success with Howard at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy winning a state title.


That success got him a scholarship to Georgia Tech in 2007, where he played very well his first season, leading the team to an NCAA Tournament berth. He left Tech after one season and was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers in the following year's draft.

We remember when he announced he was leaving Tech that then head coach Paul Hewitt told us he had some concerns Crittenton wasn't ready to handle the NBA life, but he knew there were other issues at play which led to the move. His gun incident while with the Washington Wizards and Gilbert Arenas in 2011, was the tip of the iceberg.

Reading that Crittenton has been linked to gangs, killed someone and was involved with a drug ring is just a sad tag to a life of potential.

A life that seems to now be a total waste.......
WSB-TV in Atlanta  gives us the TV story:

CupGate: Did J-Kidd Spill On Purpose...???

((HT: NBA on ESPN))

With 8.3 seconds left in Wednesday's game against the Lakers, Tyshawn Taylor knocked into his head coach, Jason Kidd, and spilled his drink on the floor of the Lakers home court...

Not completely unheard of, you say...???

Completely innocent... you say...???

The Nets were out of time outs and it gave the Nets a chance to draw up a play to try and go for the icing...

Look for yourself...
((HT: YES))


"Cup slipped out of my hand while I was getting Ty," Kidd said. "Sweaty palms. I was never good with the ball.

"In the heat of the battle, you're trying to get guys in and out of the game, and the cup fell out of my hand."

Video replays appeared to show Kidd saying "Hit me."

Kidd, obviously, denies it as does Taylor...

"No [Kidd didn't say that]. I wasn't paying attention. I just kind of bumped him," Taylor said postgame. "I didn't even know he was holding [anything]. [But] coach was drinking a soda on the sideline. I was like, 'What's he doing?'

"It could ice a free throw shooter and be a timeout when you don't have one, but that wasn't the thought process. I was just coming out, and he was in my way. 'Coach, get out of my way, bro.' "

Reports: Twitter Explodes Over Dwight Howards "Decision"--He'll Sign With The Rockets (UPDATED)

((UPDATE--Reports are circulating the Rockets are also on the verge of a "Sign-and-trade" deal with the Atlanta Hawks for Josh Smith. If that does take place, it would change some of the issues brought up below. Yes, it would make the Rockets the "Team to Beat" in the NBA West))

So. Can we say that possibly the most over-hyped sports story of the July 4th weekend will revolve around soon-to-be Houston Rockets center Dwight "Cry-baby" Howard?

Multiple reports say the mercurial 27-year old has decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and take his talents to Houston. We might mention that the Rockets have gone to great lengths this offseason to clear salary space by jettisoning multiple players and are looking to get rid of a few more players.

Howard in Houston would team with the talented James Harden, forward Chandler Parsons and a few "other guys" to give the Rockets the appearance of a "title" team.

Don't believe it.

Sure, they may compete, and really, outside Oklahoma City and maybe San Antonio and now probably the Los Angeles Clippers and possibly the Golden State Warriors, there's not a ton of teams who can compete for an NBA title. (Okay, so I named 4-others)

No, we aren't fans of Howard, whom we know from his days as a fairly likeable kid playing ball at SW Atlanta Christian School. But somewhere between there and the end of his run with the Orlando Magic, he turned into the prototypical "Spoiled-Brat" athlete.

And no, don't feel sorry for the LA Lakers, whose "Max" offer has been spurned. They knew going in that Howard could be a 1-year rental and that turned out to be true.

Sure, he may be a "Savior" for the decent, but not great Rockets, and we have no doubt he'll lead them to the playoffs, but when his "Contract" is up or if they don't win a title, which Dwight will they get? The "fun-loving", kid-friendly guy who wants to be part of a good team or the "me-first", find me a coach who runs an offense I like-guy whom he seems to have become....

Weather Gives World Peace

((HT: Fox Sports))

The HQ doesn't think Mark Kriski is in any danger or anything like that... sorry, local reference...
Look it up...

But here's Ron Metta and his meteorology...


Now, if only he could be part of a Lakers team that made the playoffs, or something slightly more important...

ICYMI: Spurs End Lakers Misery in 4 Straight

We normally steer clear of reporting on 1st Round NBA Playoff series because,well, the NBA Playoffs last for 3 months.

But we couldn't resist this story.

The San Antonio Spurs did exactly what they were supposed to do and swept the over-hyped Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in their best of 7 series.

The series ended after the Spurs annihilated the Lakers 103-82 on the Lakers home court Sunday evening.

The game featured Laker Cry-baby Dwight Howard getting ejected after 2 technical fouls and the rest of the team being woefully out-manned.

We also bring this up because the deities that rule the national sports airways deemed the Lakers "Competition for the Miami Heat". We deeemed them old, and losers in the 1st round of the playoffs. Back in July of last year, when they picked up 37-year old Steve Nash. To play with 36-year old Kobe Bryant and 35-year old Metta World Artest.

Really, we just wanted to remind everyone that we predicted this, it was no surprise to us and even further proof that just because you have a lot of aging superstars doesn't automatically make you a title contender.

Opinion: Non-Major City Teams IGNORED (Hawks Beat Lakers, Nobody Mentions It)

As someone who doesn't live in New York, LA, Boston, Chicago or Philadelphia, I get really annoyed these days trying to watch a Sports TV Network or read a big time Sports Website.

Why you ask?

Because they all but ignore teams that don't play in the above cities.

Sure, they pay attention to Oklahoma City because Kevin Durant plays there. And they slobber over the Dallas Cowboys, because they are the Dallas Cowboys and will pay attention to the Philadelphia Eagles, well, because they are a big city not far from New York.

But by and large they ignore the rest of the country.

And my example of this....happened Wednesday night.

The Atlanta Hawks played the Los Angeles Lakers in Atlanta. The Hawks were without 2 of their best players, Josh Smith and Jeff Teague, the Lakers were coming off a win against the pitiful Orlando Magic. Oh, and the world....ESPN in particular proclaimed "The Lakers are Back" after Dwight Howard shot 39 free throws against the moronic Magic defense.



Well, the Hawks beat the Lakers Wednesday night, but you'd never know it watching or reading the morning match ups.

No, the only thing mentioned, highlights of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant got hurt.

For the record, Bryant was hurt trying to land after missing a jump shot, he landed on the foot of Hawks guard Dhantay Jones and sprained his ankle.



The highlights I saw this morning. Kobe shooting jumpers. Dwight Howard (Lakers) struggling to score. Kobe getting hurt. Kobe whining that Jones tried to hurt him. Kobe whining "Shooters should be Protected". (No, they shouldn't)

That was it.

No mention of the undermanned Hawks. No mention of them playing a good team game. No mention of the Lakers not being as good as advertised. And then an attack on Jones. And now the National Reporters are convinced Jones tried to hurt Bryant.

What Jones did isn't against the rules guys. Sorry. It may not be the cleanest move, but its done....frequently. Basketball is a game where you get hurt. From time to time you land on people's feet. If this happened to ANYONE else, it wouldn't even get a mention.

**NOTE**---We predicted the Lakers would SUCK last year, and explained why back in July of last year.  You can read it RIGHT HERE

Honestly though, this isn't directed specifically at a particular team. Just coverage in general.

Yeah, some of it is bitterness because when I worked in local TV, they used the "ESPN" excuse as one of the many reasons they didn't need a Sports Department. No, ESPN, CBSSportsNetwork or the NBCSportsNetwork don't pay attention to lower profile teams either. Yet the perception is they do.

So in the meantime, we get endless diatribes on things like "The Greatness of Tim Tebow" or "Seth Greenburg gives his version of the 'Oscars'" or Herm Edwards talking about Danica Patrick. We get an endless stream of daily live updates from New York Yankees training camp...or the 5-11 Jets. But no mention any other teams.

And we continue to watch. Because we have no choice. Because there are no longer any other options. You will occasionally get some information on "Other" teams from smaller websites, but you have to look for it. In the meantime, much like everything else, the business continues to thrive because of the ignorant masses who don't pay attention or don't realize the Sports Cable News Networks of the world aren't pandering to them, they are pandering to the dumbest of them.

DEVELOPING: Jerry Buss Dies At 79

According to the LA Times, long-time Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss has died at the age of 79...

He had been receiving treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for an "undisclosed form of cancer" in the middle of last week.

From Mike Bresnahan's article last week, he discloses Buss' recent medical problems:

He underwent an undisclosed surgery last August and was admitted a month earlier for what the team said was dehydration. He was also hospitalized in December 2011 for blood clots in his leg caused by excessive travel, according to the Lakers.

A report Thursday from radaronline.com said that players were visiting Buss because of “what they expect to be his final days.”

Buss is largely credited with bringing showtime elements to both the Lakers and the NBA with the installment of talent he brought to the Forum in the 1980's, and being integral to its renaissance...

Here's his speech when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame...


More when we know more...

DeAndre Jordan and the Worst Free-Throw Ever

((ht: cbssports.com))

Ooofff...pity the poor backboard at the Staples Center.

Take a look at the video below. It's Los Angeles Clippers Center DeAndre Jordan getting fouled by the Los Angeles Lakers and attempting a free throw after the foul.

And it ain't pretty.

Somehow Jordan doesn't shoot an airball...but his aim was a bit right.

Might be time to get the scope adjusted....

Oh, by the way, the Clippers embarrassed the pathetic Lakers yet again 125-101. (Yes, we predicted the Laker experiment was going to fail months ago--look it up)

The Redcoats Are Here! Hey, Isn't That...???

((HT: Time Warner Cable/Lakers Network))

Some men are funny, some men have funny thrust upon them, and then there's Will Ferrell...

Last night at Staples Center, he was in full mustache as a security guy on the court...

And very few men can make us laugh by just standing there... and getting people kicked out of the arena that are much larger than he is...

Evidence below...

Lakers Fire Mike Brown

((HT: Sportsnet))

After a 1-and-4 start to the NBA season, the L.A. Lakers have fired head coach Mike Brown- putting him in the same category as Paul Westhead in Lakers lore.

You remember Paul Westhead...who was fired for winning 6 more games...
((HT: NBA/youtube))


The Lakers are dead-last in the Western Conference standings with their "Princeton Offense," death stares, and general ineffectiveness...

You remember "death stares..."
((HT: Lakersnationdotcom))


More when we know more...

Dwight Howard Trade Official: Magic lose whiner, add whole team

Well, that's taken care of at least.

The Orlando Magic have unloaded the man/child who had become both theirs and the NBA's biggest headache.

They completed a trade Friday afternoon with 3 other teams that totaled 11 players and 5 draft picks. It essentially creates a new (albeit not very good) Magic roster and puts Howard in LA-LA Land.

It took the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and the Lakers to help make the trade of "Mr Whiny Bitch", who when not crying, is one of the better players in the NBA.

The Magic send Howard, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark to LA and Jason Richardson to Philadelphia. In return, they get Aaron Affalo and Al Harrington from Denver, Maurice Harkness and Nikola Vucevic from Philadelphia and Josh McRoberts along with Chrstian Eyenga from the Lakers.

Still following?

Denver then gets Andre Igoudala from Philly and the Sixers get Andrew Bynum from the Lakers.

Oh, the Magic also get 3 1st Round Picks and 3 2nd Rounders out of it too.

Tired yet?

Did we mention Howard's contract expires at the end of the 2012-13 season? Oh...he also hasn't said he will re-sign with the Lakers either. (Though we bet he will)

We guess Mr. Howard backed off his demand to go to New Jersey here. (awwww) But he now joins a rather old Lakers roster with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash on it. And though they may be old, that's a pretty imposing lineup.

The funny thing to us is in the Magic's press release, they don't name Howard by name until half way through it.

Read the Magic release RIGHT HERE

Sigh.

Sorry to say, but this is why we hate the NBA. More than baseball or football, the NBA is about big markets. Sure, the Oklahoma City Thunder are an exception, but they won't be able to keep that team together after the 1st contracts run out either.

No, instead you get talented players who turn into Spoiled Brats like Howard did, and hold there smaller market team hostage until they get to go where they want.

And quite honestly, we don't even begrudge Howard leaving for another team, it's just the way he handled it. Had he been a grown-up and handled it like a professional, we'd have little issue. But he cried and whined and made a big scene about it instead.

Anyway, it will be weird seeing him in a Laker uniform next season. Partially since we don't like the Lakers. But also because now the ONLY NBA coverage we...and everyone else will get this upcoming season is ESPN drooling over the Miami Heat and slobbering over Howard and the Lakers.

DEVELOPING...??? D-12 Deal Finally Done...??? (UPDATED)

We can only think that this is, in fact, true...

It looks like, according to Marc Stein and various other "sources" close to Stein and everyone else in Bristol, the Dwight Howard deal might be like this...

And if it is, in fact, true... we can all go back to our lives...

Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers
The Denver Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala
The Philadelphia 76ers will get Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson
The Orlando Magic will get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and one protected future first-round pick from the Lakers, Nuggets, and Sixers.

The Magic will be getting other bits and pieces- including this year's Number 1 pick of the 76'ers- Moe Harkless

All this is through Stein...

We can only hope... more when we know more...
ESPN discusses hyah with FOSG Chris Cotter leading the band...

According to JA Adande, through his Twitter:

Howard a Laker. Bynum will re-sign in Philly. Denver saves $15 million in 2014-15. Only team this wasn't a no-brainer for is...Orlando

The conference call with the NBA is slated for Friday morning...

Adande continues @2330: I'm retracting my Bynum re-signing with 76ers tweet. Original source clarifies to say "not sure"

PHX Fans Burning Nash Jerseys

Already...

Well, that didn't take long...

So, the HQ wants to get this straight...

A well-respected member of your local basketball team decides that he wants to test the free-agent waters, gets a great deal, and will now be playing for your arch-enemy- the Los Angeles Lakers...

Phoenix Suns fans are now venting their frustrations over Steve Nash leaving to go to LA... and it goes a little something like this...
((HT: ABC15 Phoenix))

Stay classy, Phoenix... By the way, Nash didn't want to move his family FROM PHOENIX in the first place... they're staying...

If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at the owners of the Suns for not investing enough to make it a viable franchise in the Western Conference...

Oh the Hilarity: Metta World Peace, Weather Dude

((ht: biglead.com))

Who better than the artist formerly known as Artest to do the CTV Vancouver celebrity weather?

Yes, that's right: Metta World Peace...the former Ron Artest, of the Los Angeles Lakers showed up on Canadian Television last night to do the weather forecast.

Sure, he has no idea what he is talking about, but admittedly it is kind of funny. And yes, it is another sign of the end of Local TV News, we know that, but celebrity weather forecasters get a bit of a pass here.

So rather than blather on about Mr. World Peace, we'll just head to the videotape.

Your Busy Weekend At LA Live

That's what they call the entertainment complex that has, among other things, the Staples Center...

With 6 events in four days, the installation crews had their hands full...
Here's what it was like to change out hockey for hoops over and over again...
((HT: Sportsnet))


Not to be outdone... the Amgen Tour of California was finishing up there...
((HT: KABC-TV))